Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Apartment Living, daffodils, happy day, Li fe in Manhattan, Life in NYC, life is good, living in NYC, Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday Pics on February 7, 2018| 2 Comments »
January, February… the toughest months of the year, in my opinion. It is tough to find the sunshine somedays. Easy to get bogged down in darkness.
We always have the most beautiful flower arrangements in our building lobby. Today they are daffodils. My favorite.
I share them with you and offer a little bit of golden sunshine. Have a wonderful day my friends. 💕
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged American Thanksgiving, being thankful, Central Park, Family, Friends, Happy Thanksgiving, life in Manhattan, Life in NYC, life is good, Living in Manhattan, living in NYC, Manhattan, Pics of Central Park, Pics of NYC, Thanksgiving on November 23, 2017| 2 Comments »
Taking the time today for a bit of personal reflection. The sun is shining down on this spectacular city. The dog and I walked through Central Park and currently the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade plays in the background while my little family lounges. Life is certainly not perfect, it never is, but there really is always something to be thankful for.
Right now I am thankful for my girls. They are challenging and exhausting but they are also smart, determined and hilarious. I am thankful for my family, who no matter how far away are always available for a chat and a positive word or two of support. I am thankful for Mr Memphis who shares my love of walks in the park. I am so damn thankful for my friends, especially my girlfriends who just understand. All of it.
I am thankful for another day to explore, experience, question, to be angry, to fight, to love, to care, to be kind, to have adventures.
Wishing all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am thankful for you ❤️
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 2016: a reflection, bedford hills, Christmas in NYC, Family, Friends, goodbye 2016, hamilton: an american musical, Happy 2017, Life in NYC, life is good, Living in Manhattan, living in NYC, Macy's, memphis dog, new year's resolution, New York City, pics of Christmas, pics of christmas in nyc, Pics of NYC, reflections, Rockefeller Center, Rockefeller Centre Tree on December 30, 2016| 4 Comments »
The line from “Hamilton: An American Musical” keeps running through my mind right now as I sit here reflecting on the insanity of the year that was 2016. This year has been a whirlwind of ups and downs. And yes, there have been many downs but we are still here. We ARE lucky to be alive right now and to enter 2017, fierce and strong and ready to meet challenges like the badass people we have proven to be. Yep, I am talking about YOU! Go get it my friends!! =)
Sorry, I haven’t written in awhile, one of the resolutions I hope to keep is to get back to my writing. It really does soothe my soul and make me happy.
I have spent the last few days of 2016 with my girls and Memphis. I was lucky enough to get the week off of work and we spent Christmas in Bedford celebrating with good friends and meeting new people in a beautiful setting. We have also had some quality time chilling at home binge watching “Gilmore Girls”.
This time of year is still a bit tough, I find myself with a bit too much time to think and reflect. Not necessarily a bad thing unless I start being a little too hard on myself. I have to remind myself to take a deep breath. I am exactly where I am supposed to be. This year we said goodbye to Dopey dog but it also brought us Memphis. The girls and I have become closer, we are our own little family unit. I have a job that I enjoy, it is chaotic and crazy, it forces me out of my comfort zone. I don’t see my extended family and out of town friends as often as I would like but they are doing a-okay and that makes me smile. Here in the big city I am surrounded by my NYC family and these friends are the glue that hold all the pieces together. My heart is full. For that I am so very humbled and grateful.
I do feel a little uncertain as to what 2017 holds, but I do know this, together, we will be okay. Kindness is key. And love really is the answer. Be well my friends. Happy, Happy, Happy 2017!! -Sandra xo
(I leave you with a few pics from the last few days of this year- Enjoy!)
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged blizzard, blizzardinnyc, jonas, jonas2016, life in Manhattan, Life in NYC, Living in Manhattan, living in NYC, nature, NYC, nycblizzard 2016, Pics of NYC, sledding, Sledding in Riverside Park, sledding with the family, snowstorm2016, snowstorminnyc, waitingforasnowstorm, winter in nyc, winterstormjonas on January 24, 2016| 2 Comments »
They warned us Jonas was coming. In predictable NYC fashion people rushed to the local supermarkets and cleared the shelves of bread. One can only hope that wine and cheese were bought too. We all speculated, would the city really get hit this time? Last year in preparation for an epic storm, the subways were closed, schools were cancelled and not a single flake fell. Bummer. This time, storm Jonas actually went above and beyond and brought more snow than was even predicted. It was a record storm for NYC, one for the books. The Jonas snowfall total for Central Park is 27.9 inches. Wowza.
We spent Jonas hunkered down in the apartment. I caught up on tv shows and ventured out to take the dog and grab a few pics. The girls played with friends and tuned into their own devices. We found some of grandma’s spaghetti sauce in the freezer and indulged in gourmet hot chocolate given to us as a Christmas gift. The snow fell outside, the wind blew and I felt incredibly grateful to be warm and safe inside. Caught in our own little winter wonderland snow globe.
I love when NYC is forced to slow down. The streets clear, people reach out to help others, small acts of kindness are witnessed- a shared meal, a sidewalk shoveled, a hand up over a large snowbank… People gather on the deserted streets to take in the beauty of the freshly fallen snow. We remember to cherish the little things.
This morning we headed over to our favorite hill to get our sledding on. The sun dazzled, kids laughed and the city slowly awoke, seemingly a bit reluctant to return to its normal pace.
I hope you all made it through the storm safely and found a little peace. It was nice to see winter make an appearance, maybe next time not all at once 😉
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged hip hop yoga, life in Manhattan, Life in NYC, Living in Manhattan, living in NYC, NYC, vinyasa, Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday Pics, y7-studio, y7-studio yoga, y7studio, y7studio yoga, Yoga, yoga in nyc on January 13, 2016| 2 Comments »
It is a new year, time to challenge yourself and try things that scare you a little. Recently I have started going to Hip Hop Yoga. In the past I have found most yoga classes to be a little intimidating. I would often leave the class feeling frustrated that I couldn’t do many of the moves or not even remotely relaxed because I was trying so hard to keep up and to not feel foolish. Maybe I was just taking the wrong kind of classes.
A friend of mine introduced me to Hip Hop Yoga at Y7 Studio. Their motto is sweat dripping, beat bumping, candlelit yoga. I was instantly intrigued. I wondered how yoga combined with hip hop would actually work. I was also a little nervous because I am not a huge fan of working out in extreme heat. Remember, I actually like to run in the cold!
The Y7 studios (I have been to Soho and Flatiron) are in great locations close to subways and in funky ‘hoods that make it a fun little adventure. The hip hop yoga class takes place in a hot studio in complete dark with only candlelight to help you navigate your way. The teacher leads you through numerous sequences- a vinyasa with the hip hop beats pumping in the background. I was hooked. It was awesome. It was really hard and the best part is that in the dark no one can really see if you are making mistakes. And quite frankly, everyone is worrying about themselves and in typical NYC fashion, no one cares what you are doing 😉 The hot studio also seems to help ease all of those little aches and pains that keep popping up!
I have been to three classes so far- Travis Scott, Tupac and today, Drake. I will definitely be going back. I love the hour long combo of great music, challenging moves and the way it can quiet my crazy mind. Namaste, yo!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged being positive, divorce, hello 2016, life after divorce, Life in NYC, Living in Manhattan, living in NYC, moving forward, saying goodbye in 2015, support on December 12, 2015| 6 Comments »
2015 started off with such great possibilities. I was volunteering at the hospital, checking out opportunities to look for new career options, a running routine, planned vacations and celebrations. But life doesn’t always work out as expected and sometimes you are dealt a blow that you didn’t see coming. My partner and best friend of 22 years decided that his path in life no longer included one that we would walk together. I am not interested in sharing intimate details here, I will simply state that my life as I knew it was over. I was devastated for us, for me, for our children. For awhile I felt crippled. I could barely function and each day I awoke with a broken, heavy heart. I put one foot in front of the other and forced myself to keep moving forward.
It is during this time, working through the grief and pain that I learned a lot about myself. I am stronger than I thought. I can do this. Each day gets a little bit easier. It is a work in progress.
In 2015, I realized just how fierce, brave, courageous, vulnerable, lost, scared, badass, sensitive, happy, angry, lonely, loved, I am.
I ran a marathon. I ran two half marathons.
I trained and spinned and cried and laughed and cursed and drank and ate and travelled.
I realized that you should never take the people you love for granted. Hug them, love them, tell them.
I felt the love and support of a school community, of the Soul Cycle community.
I have been truly humbled by the friendships I have, both new and old. Words can not adequately express my gratitude. Never underestimate the tribe of girlfriends and how they can lift you up and carry you through even the darkest of days.
I am ridiculously happy and grateful for my girls, who inspire, encourage and surround me with love and support, every single day.
My parents, my brother… Just love, so much incredible love.
I say goodbye to 2015 to leave it behind, let it go. But I also embrace 2015 as the year that taught me to find inner strength, courage and resilience. I look forward to 2016 and the adventures it will bring. Always look to brighter days. Always look to brighter days, they are just around the corner waiting, I have to believe that, I will always believe that.
It is who I am.
“Take a deep breath and let it go. It is what it is, leave it behind you”.
Wishing you all peace, joy, love, happiness and good energy in 2016!
Get on with your badass selves!!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Central Park, jacqueline kennedy onassis reservoir, life in Manhattan, Life in NYC, living in NYC, reservoir, reservoir central park, running in Central Park, running nyc, running the reservoir, Spring in NYC, Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday Pics on March 25, 2015| 2 Comments »
This winter sure is stubborn. Waking up to temperatures hovering around freezing is getting really old. At least today there was no wind, in fact the weather network described it as calm. Definitely a step in the right direction. I went for a short, slow run in the park today and instead of sticking to the road, I was drawn toward the beauty of the reservoir. The sun was beaming down and it actually felt like it was warming up the pathway. Central Park is ready to just burst into bloom. Any day now, at least that is what I tell myself as I grumble and groan and search for gloves 😉 We are all ready. Here are some pics of the reservoir, I hope you enjoy them and can grab a bit of sunshine for yourself. Have a great day! xo
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Autumn in NYC, Central Park, fall in NYC, Life in NYC, Living in Manhattan, living in NYC, upper east side, Upper West Side, Walking through Central Park, Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday Pic, Wordless Wednesday Pics on October 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »
It is another beautiful day here in NYC. We have had a spectacular Fall filled with lots of sunshine and mild temperatures. I am trying to enjoy every moment as I know that winter is indeed coming. Today I had a doctor’s appointment on the east side. Rather than hopping a cab or grabbing the crosstown bus I decided to walk. I always seem to forget how quick it is to cross Central Park and be on the other side. Today on my walk I was rewarded with gorgeous tree colors, marathoners from other countries running the loop, tourists and locals strolling and for me, basically a sense of peace as I marveled once again, at the beauty of this city. Here are few pics that I snapped along the way. Hope you enjoy them. Have a wonderful Wednesday and a fabulous week!
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged dog stories nyc, dog tie-outs, Life in NYC, Living in Manhattan, living in NYC, owning a dog in nyc, taking a dog on vacation, Wordless Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday Pics on July 30, 2014| Leave a Comment »
On Sunday Ron, Dopey-dog and myself will be heading to New Hampshire for a week long vacation at a little cabin we have rented. Dopey (our city dog) won’t know what hit him. I have a feeling he will take the State’s motto “Live Free or Die” to heart. A lake to jump into, grass to roll around on, sand to dig, little critters to chase… I am not sure we will ever see him again. But, as per the cabin rules, he will have to contain his freedom somewhat and is required to be tied up in the presence of other people, animals etc. Not knowing how close the other cabins are and if he chases a squirrel if he will ever come back, I made it my mission this week to try and find a dog tie-out in NYC. This is not an easy task, for one, most people do not tie their dogs out anywhere, apartment living and all that and secondly, if they did have such a thing it was for a mere 20 pound tiny dog named Fifi. So I needed to find something that would be worthy of my 100 pound boy. Off to Amazon I went where again I was bombarded with lots of options for dogs that weighed under 50 pounds, these tie-outs were not going to do. Finally I found the perfect thing and it arrived on my door step this morning:
It might possibly be just a wee bit overboard but really, there seemed to be no middle ground and honestly those squirrels need a bit of a head start, right Super Beast????!!!:
Happy Wednesday everyone!!! Hope your day and week are filled with sunshine and ice-cream! xox
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged couple time, Life in NYC, Living in Manhattan, living in NYC, parents playing while kids are at sleepaway, reconnecting while the kids are at camp, Summer in NYC, things to do in nyc on July 28, 2014| 1 Comment »
Sleepaway camp. Two wonderful words, almost as good as the words back to school… just kidding… sort of. This is the third summer that the girls have gone away to a camp in New Hampshire and the second summer they have been gone for a full four weeks. Yep, four weeks with no children. We have just passed the two week mark and I do have to admit that I am really missing them, a lot. The girls are sending hilarious letters about how much fun they are having or if you are our youngest- “I love you and miss you- please send bubbles!” Also, the camp pictures show smiling, happy children enjoying all that camp has to offer. Even though I miss them and can’t wait to see them and hear all about their adventures, I am also enjoying our time apart. I know that being out of the city is incredibly good for them, they are experiencing so many new things, making friends and maturing BUT, it is also good for us as a family. The girls learn to appreciate each other (and us) a bit more and we (I) tend to have more patience with them when they return. A little absence does make the heart grow fonder 😉
The best part is the time that Ron and I get to spend together and re-group. It is just the two of us (and the dog) and it is wonderful to have some much needed couple time. Even though Ron is still insanely busy at work it is nice to just be able to carve out some time for just the two of us without any of the normal day to day parenting distractions. We also get to do this couple staycation in one of the greatest cities in the world. We haven’t exactly gone hog wild but we have enjoyed going to brunch, strolling through the city at our leisure, browsing through bookstores, going to the movies, seeing a couple of Broadway shows, a concert on the Pier, dinners out and simply hanging out and watching what WE want to on the television. A much needed time to re-connect. On Sunday, we have rented a cottage near where the girls camp is located and we are truly going to log off, unwind, enjoy nature, swim, read, bbq and chill out. Can’t wait. We will still have plenty of summer to hang as a family, I love that too, but right now, Mom and Dad are having fun enjoying a little playtime of their own 😉
It's Always An Adventure 